May launch SSLV on Feb 10, says Isro
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will make a fresh attempt to accurately launch the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) on February 10, the agency’s chairman S Somanath said on Thursday, around five months after the maiden venture saw the rocket place its payloads on an incorrect orbit. “We are looking at a few dates but February 10 will be the first preference,” Somanath said. Isro first launched SSLV — India’s smallest launch vehicle, at 34 metre-tall — on last year. But the mission failed after the rocket placed its payloads — two satellites — in an elliptical circuit instead of a circular one. In an analysis, Isro said the mission failed after the upper stage of the SSLV injected the satellites into a “highly elliptical unstable orbit” due to a velocity shortfall, leading to the payloads decaying immediately.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will make a fresh attempt to accurately launch the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) on February 10, the agency’s chairman S Somanath said on Thursday, around five months after the maiden venture saw the rocket place its payloads on an incorrect orbit.
“We are looking at a few dates but February 10 will be the first preference,” Somanath said.
Isro first launched SSLV — India’s smallest launch vehicle, at 34 metre-tall — on August 7 last year. But the mission failed after the rocket placed its payloads — two satellites — in an elliptical circuit instead of a circular one, the space body said in a statement after the launch. The launch vehicle was carrying EOS-02 (earth observation satellite) and AzaadiSAT, a miniature satellite (referred to as a cubesat) designed by girls across India to mark the country’s 75th year of Independence.
EOS-02 is an imaging microsatellite designed to address agriculture as well as disaster management objectives, while the cubesat carried 75 microsatellites to conduct experiments.
In a detailed analysis issued on Wednesday, Isro said the mission failed after the upper stage of the SSLV injected the satellites into a “highly elliptical unstable orbit” due to a velocity shortfall, leading to the payloads decaying immediately.
The report highlighted that there was a vibration disturbance on the equipment bay deck for a short while during the second stage of separation, which affected a key navigation system.
“The shock response measured at the bay during the second stage separation exceeded expectations and ground test levels in low and high frequency as well as in time duration. The shock from such events lasts for about two milliseconds, whereas here a shock of two to three millisecond duration and subsequent oscillations lasting for more than 10 milliseconds was observed,” said Isro’s report.